Art of electrolytically extracting metals from their ores.



W. D. RENNIEJ ART OF ELEGTROLYTICALLY EXTRACTING METALS FROM THEIR ORES.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE 8, 1910.

Patented Mar.28,1911.

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W. D. RENNIE. ART OF ELECTROLYTIGALLY EXTBAGTING METALS FROM THEIR ORES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8 1910.

Patented Mar. 28, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

STATES PAT NT QFFICE WILTLIAM15.BENNIEQDFLHACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, Assren'on TO UNIVERSAL oar.

a -m tron:

To all bmm: zBeit-known that'l, NILLtAM D. .RENNIE,

a citizen o fetlie,United States, and residentof Hackensackpcountyof Bergen, and State of New .Jersey, haveg nade a new and useful Inventionin the of Electrolytically EX- tractingiflltfetals from Their. Ores, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionis; directed particularly to anovel method of and apparatus for effecting the ext-ractionof metals from their ores, and it has-for-itsfmost essential object, to thoroughly,v andcontinuously agitate an electrolyte-inwhiclr-apowderof anorc is held in suspension duringr-the time that the same is being, acted upon by an electrical current flowing therethrough.

Myj inyention will be fully understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which -i Figure 1 isa ,vertical sectional view of my novel agitator andelectrical appliances used therewithdn practicing the methods hereinafter described:and-claimed; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View taken through the lower end of the verticaltubular agitating-standardwhich supports at its upper end theanode-of the apparatus, and conveys the powderedrore-held in suspension from the bottom to the top of the cell where it is.distributedradially and allowed to descend through the electrolyte under the influenceofgravity. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig.1 as seen-looking thereat from the top toward the bottompf the drawing. Fig. d is a; perspective view ,of one of the staves of whichthe agitating vessel is constructed;

' conformation shown in Figs. 4 and 5, said staves being held together by hoops 5, 5, 5, and when assembled, as shown, with the inclined surfaces 2 2 constituting a coneshaped throat or means for conveying the powdered ore held in suspension in the electrolyte downward by gravity into the effective flow of the agitating medium, as hot air or steam .under pressure. The surfaces 3 and 4 constitute, when assembled, cylinear-or:nLEc'rRoLYTIcALLY nxrnac'rnve mnrnns raoiu THEIR onus.

"Specification of Letterslatent; Pat efited'hiar, 28, 191L App lication filed June 8,1910. seen reassess.

drical means of support. extending through the bottom of the vessel for a tubular agitating standard 7 having an enlarged head 6 in its lower end, the same being secured in the manner shown from below by a base 8 and screws extending therethrough.

9 is a detachable screw-threaded part of the base 8 for receiving a tubular screwthreaded connector 10 secured by an elbow. to an air or steam pipe 11 connected in turn with a source of air or steam under pressure, but not shown. I

19. represents a cylindrical metallic cathode provided with vertically disposed slots or openings, or this cathode may be of any preferred form, such as are used in electrolytic appliances of this nature, the same being hung within the upper end of the agiit slowly descends by the action of gravity it will be continuously subjected to the electrolytic action of the current.

16, 16 represents a series of openings extending through't'he upper end of the anode, and 17, 17 represents a series of openings at the bottom of the standard 7 connecting the interior thereof with the interior coneshaped bottom of the vessel, the function of these openings being to receive the powdered ore held in suspension as it descends by the action of gravity and again present it for the upward action of the agitating agent.

6 represents the binding post of the anode and b the binding post of the cathode.

The apparatus having been assembled in the manner shown and described the opera tion is as followsThe electrolyte holding the powdered ore in suspension is placed in the agitating vessel to the desired depth preferably to the depth of the top of the openings 16. The source of electrical energy is then connected to the binding posts 5 and b and steam or air is admitted through the pipe 11 at the proper pressure. Immediately, therefore, there is set up in the. tubumenswe r-cam r 0F PHOENIX, ABIZONA TERRITQBYfA oonrona'rroiv or vlar agitating standard 7 an upward move inent (in the direction of the arrows) oflyte to be forced upward under pressure against the under surface of the deflector 14 and to then pass radially outward in the direction of the curved arrows and ultimately slowly downward under the action of gravity alone throughout all points, both between the anode and cathode and the exterior surface of the latter, so that so long as this action continues the powdered ore is equally subjected to the direct plating action of the source of electrical energy. This 'agitation is kept up continuously until the metal is all extracted and deposited upon the oathode 12, after which said cathode is removed and the metal is recovered under any of the well known processes, such as fusion, etc.

I do not limit my invention to the specific details of the structuralapparatus disclosed in the drawings and hereinbefore described for practicingthe. novel method of agitating electrolytes containing powders, as obviously these structural features might be materially departed from and still come within the scope of my claims hereinafter made.

' Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent'of the United States is- I i 1 The described method of elfecting a thor ugh distribution of a powder of the fat;

ore' a metal throughout the volume of an electrolyte, consisting in causinga continuojusupward and outward movement ther'eof [due to an applied forceand a continuous tion of gravity alone. I

'2. The described method of extracting a metal froman ore thereof, consisting in continuouslv causing a powder of such .ore to ascend through an electrolyte by an applied forceand to then allow it to descend therethrough under the action of gravity alone while subjected to the influence of an electrical current.

3. The described method of distributing a. powder of an ore throughout the volume of an electrolyte, consisting in subjecting the same, while held in suspension, to a lifting and distributing pressure, and then al lowing itto descend through the elctrolyte under the influence of gravity alone.

4;, An agitator for effecting a thorough mixture of a powder, and an electrolyte em- -lo-wnward movement thereof due to the ac- 4'0' bracinga vessel having a vertically disposed agitating standard or tube connected at its bottom with the vessel and alsoto asource of pressure; in combination with means at the top of the tube for eifecting a radial distribution of the powder at that point, substantially as described.

5. An agitator embracing a vessel and a tube secured therein, said tube being connected at its bottom to the interior of the vessel and also to a source of steam, air or gas pressure, and provided latits top with a deflector for effecting radial distribution of the powder, substantially as described.

(3; An agitator embracing a vessel having an interior cone-shaped bottom, a tube se-- cured therein and operatively "connected at both ends with the interior of the vessel and also at its lower end with a source of air or gas supply under pressure, substantially as described.

7. An agitatorembracing a vessel and a tube for forcing the liquid and substance to be agitatedupward through the vertical axis of the vessel and without disturbin'g effect.

upon the liquid at other points, and addi-' tional means for causing the suspended substance or' substances to be forced' outward radially in all directions near the surface thereof, substantially as described.

, 8. An agitator embracing a vessel having an interior cone-shaped bottom and a vertically disposed tube connected at its bottom with .an exterior source of pressure; said tube having openings at top and bottom for permitting ofa continuous upward flow of the liquid under pressure.

9. Means for effecting the extraction of metals from the powder of their ores embracing an agitating vessel provided with an agitating tube connected at top and bottom with the interior of the vessel andalso at its bottom with a source of pressure; in combination with an anode and a cathode, the arrangement't'hereof being such that the liquid and'the, powder held in suspension therein will be caused to move continuously upward and outward under pressure and downward between said anode andv cathode by the influence ofgravity alone.

' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of.

two subscribing witnesses.

k WILLIAM D. RENNIE. \Vitness'es:

' BARTON B. WARD,

C. J. KINTNIJR. 

